Strictly speaking, the title of this post isn’t accurate - I have been working in London for ages - but only for the odd day or week from time to time. Today marked the first day of three months working in central London though; a day which I will mark with excerpts from my trusty Moleskine notebook.
The journey in…
First day at the client site, and first day out “in the wild” for the MacBook. Was able to use it on part of the journey in - at least until the expected fat guy sat next to me, and squashed me thoughtlessly into the corner of the train seat.
The umm…. “rotund” guy had a PSP and a goatee beard. Should I add this to the stereotype goatee fat guy with radio controlled toys that I started constructing a while ago?
Arriving in Paddington…
The train arrived late in Paddington, and then I discovered the underground had ben shut due to congestion. Strangely, what little I could see past the police and the railings looked deserted. We were finally let through and I arrived on-site for my first day in London nearly half an hour late.
The Office…
The presence of the MacBook on my desk raised inquisitive “Oooo”s from others in the IT department, and shocked/impressed shaking of heads when they saw the various gymnastics that “Expose” can do on a Mac. I have a new phone number, a new email address, and a monster PC to work with. I also have a desk with drawers (which I will will with junk), and pens, pencils and crap.
Coming Home
Coming home involved aquiring a season ticket for the train - which was surprisingly easy. I had anticipated having to spend ages filling out forms, but in the end a nice chap in the ticket counter at Paddington did everything for me, and did it quickly with minimum of fuss. Incredible.
There is balance in this world though. Buying the season ticket meant I missed my normal train. All of the trains passing through the destination I needed slowly lit up as “delayed” on the board - and no sign of which platform they might be departing from. Meanwhile a clueless announcer kept repeating over the public address system how dreadfully sorry they were. Wonderful.
Once a few hundred numpties got off the train, for the last half hour of my journey home I was able to get the MacBook out again. I spent twenty minutes sat in sub-zero temperatures (centigrade, for those in the US), sat on a bench in Maidenhead station, typing away until my fingers had no feeling left in them. The final train of my journey rolled in as I put the laptop away, and I walked in the door at 8pm.
It’s been a long first day. Up at 6am, out the door at 7am, and back in the door at 8pm. I’m hoping tomorrow will be a little shorter.